Visa Services
Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV)
The new Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) application process is employer-led.
Before hiring a migrant on the AEWV the New Zealand employer will have to:
- apply for accreditation under the new system
- apply for a job check to make sure the role they want to fill cannot be done by New Zealanders, and
- request a migrant worker to apply for a visa.
The migrant must satisfy the skills and experience outlined in the job check, as well as meet Immigration NZ’s minimum skill requirements. Once you have an approved Job Check, you can invite your chosen migrant applicant to apply for an AEWV.
The applicant will also need to meet health and character requirements and meet the employer’s requirements for the required skills and experience for the AEWV to be approved.
Unless there is a special sector agreement in place, a job offer must have a remuneration at, or above the median wage for the AEWV to be approved. Sector agreements are in place for some hospitality, care worker, and construction roles, as well as meat and seafood process workers).
Approved AEWVs have a duration of five years, but duration is shorter for roles paying under the median wage, or roles that are ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5.
There is a maximum continuous stay on an AEWV for staff paid at or above the median wage.
Or, the maximum continuous stay could be shorter if they are paid below the median wage, and this would also be dependent on the specific sector agreement.
It is therefore important to encourage your staff to understand their potential pathway to residence early on, and encourage them to get in contact with us to talk about their options based on their specific circumstances.
Migrants on current work visas will likely need to apply for an AEWV before the expiry of their current visa, unless they have reached their maximum continuous stay.
The AEWV replaced 6 work visas, however, some temporary work visas were not changed by the new visa system:
- Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Limited Visa
- Working holiday schemes
- Post-study Work Visa
- Fishing Crew Work Visa
- Religious Worker Work Visa
- Specific Purpose Work Visa
- Partnership work visas including Partner of a Worker Work Visa, Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa and Partner of a Student Work Visa
- Work visas granted for international or humanitarian reasons, such as domestic staff of diplomats, consular and official staff, and for refugee or protection status claimants.
Residence
There are numerous avenues to residency for skilled migrants, supported by their employers. To explore the different alternatives, please click here.
